Invasion of bedbugs is bad news for the Big Apple

A bedbug epidemic in New York is threatening to scare off the city’s other great invaders – tourists.

With thousands of British shoppers set to arrive in search of Christmas bargains, the city has been infested by the small, blood-sucking insects.

Hotels and landmarks including the Empire State Building and the Lincoln Centre have been infested, as well as branches of retailers including the Bloomingdale’s department store.

Unwelcome visitors: An invasion of bedbugs is driving away tourists

Despite their name, bedbugs can hide in clothing, carpets and skirting boards where they can live for a year without needing to feed.

Hotels, museums and other attractions that depend on visitors have told New York officials that they are worried about the damage to the city’s $30billion (£19billion) tourism industry.

Inundated by 24,000 complaints over the past 12 months, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has set up a special advisory board which will soon appoint a bedbug tsar.

People commenting on online travel site TripAdvisor told how they had cancelled trips to the city. Patty Majerik said: ‘It sounds like you can get them anywhere, any time of day and not know it until you get home.’

And Susannah Johnston, a yoga teacher, added: ‘Every one of the hotels we were considering had a guest horror story regarding bedbugs.’